Wednesday September 08 , 2010
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Lessons

Catapult your playing to new levels!

"I am a performing musician, guitar teacher and I have been playing for over 20 years. I have studied with some very good instructors in college and in conservatories, but Piotr is exceptional. I wasn’t seeking a teacher when I discovered him. As soon as I saw his education, performance history, and heard samples of his virtuosic playing I knew right away that I needed to train with Piotr. He shares his mastery of technique and musical concepts clearly and patiently. My playing has improved dramatically since my lessons began a year ago. I feel fortunate to be his student."

Eric Keller

Thank you for your interest in private guitar lessons. Teaching guitar is a passion of mine. Learning to play guitar expressively and assuring a reliable performance is an exciting journey that can make you revisit many different aspects of music making and is somewhat broad by nature. I have outlined below some of the areas of focus you would encounter in the initial periods of studying with me. Although some of of the subjects may appear familiar to you, you will gain new depth and claity of understanding. For example, most guitarists are familiar enough with a simple concept of alternating fingers of the right hand to play fast scales, yet only very few achieve great sounding scale passages.

Here are some areas that will be covered initially:

  • Solid foundation of technique. Fondamentals of tone production, free and rest stroke, right hand patterns of movement, string crossing, scales, arpeggios and much more. You will gain a new level of understanding of all the important aspects of right hand technique and take the guesswork out of producing great tone on the guitar.

  • Patterns of movement, positions, posture. Guitar as an extension of the body. You will learn how positioning affects the technique, how to move eficciently with more precision, and the patterns of motion in left hand technique.

  • Conscious and mindful playing and interpretation. Memorization and awareness. Not trying to sound new-agey, but this is a very important area. You will learn techniques to overcome the limitations of "memory-only" based movements as opposed to expressive and controlled movements and gain new level of control in your playing. You will learn how to use different kinds of memory systems, namely the auditory, movement and analytical systems efficiently and to develop them to their potential.

  • Interpretation, musicality. Fondamentals of rhythm, rhythmic flow of phrasing, rubato, flow and movement- rhythm is the single most important element that makes music come alive. Many classical guitar players struggle with rhythm due to the inherent nature of the instrument- you will learn how to overcome this limitation. You will also lern musical structure, hear phrasing in new ways, and how to work with rubato, dynamic and agogic effects as well as with color and vibrato.

  • Performance preparation and techniques, efficient practicing. Practicing and performing are two completely different animals. You will learn the differences. Emphasis is on "left brain" based, rational and precise practicing, vs. "right brain", creative inspired and in the moment perfomance.

    • I enjoy working with all levels of musicians, from consulting to professional players to complete beginners. I don't mind teaching beginners, as I am very interested in the process of learning. Please also consult other section of this website for more information about me.


    Please email me thru this site to find out more about scheduling a lesson. Remote lessons via Skype or Oovoo are possible as well.

    Here are some music samples of my playing both solo and with a guitar quartet:

     

    Music Samples

    "I may be new to guitar, but, as a young person, I studied piano for many years. I’ve have a variety of teachers, many with outstanding credentials, but none who possessed the temperament and knowledge of a master. Piotr’s teaching style is patient and discerning and never boring. His is able to shift fluidly from theory to technique to goal setting to performance advice. After nine months with Piotr, I’m playing at a level that exceeds every expectation I held for myself. I know that all my musical goals can be fostered here. Although I am lucky to live so close to the studio, I would travel a great distance to study with Piotr."

    Jennifer Knight






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